California Vaccine Eligibility to over 50 from April 1, others by April 15th

USPA NEWS - With supply of vaccines expected to significantly increase in the coming weeks, Governor Gavin Newson has announced," With vaccine supply increasing and by expanding eligibility to more Californians, the light at the end of the tunnel continues to get brighter".

He added, "We remain focused on equity as we extend vaccine eligibility to those 50 and over starting April 1, and those 16 and older starting April 15. This is possible thanks to the leadership of the Biden-Harris Administration and the countless public health officials across the state who have stepped up to get shots into arms.“

Based on the current estimates, California expects to be allocated approximately 2.5 million first and second doses per week in the first half of April, and more than 3 million doses in the second half of April.

A statement on the State's Website claims "The state has the capacity to administer more than 3 million vaccines per week, and is building the capacity to administer 4 million vaccines weekly by the end of April."

“We are even closer to putting this pandemic behind us with today´s announcement and with vaccine supplies expected to increase dramatically in the months ahead,“ said California Health and Human Services Secretary Dr. Mark Ghaly. “However, we are not there yet. It will take time to vaccinate all eligible Californians. During this time, we must not let our guard down. It is important that we remain vigilant, continue to wear masks and follow public health guidance.“

A spokesperson said "In addition to increased allocations of vaccines to providers serving the hardest hit communities, the state has embarked on a series of initiatives to vaccinate those populations that have faced the highest rates of COVID infections before vaccines become available to the entire 16+ population. These efforts include:

* Provider funding for programs to reach and vaccinate communities facing the biggest health disparities.
* Working with organized labor to reach essential workers.
* Partnering with agricultural organizations and community-based organizations to vaccinate agricultural workers.
* Allowing providers to target by ZIP code via My Turn with single-use codes (scheduled to launch at the end of March).
* Supporting a subset of community-based organizations currently partnering with the state on COVID-19 education to provide direct vaccination appointment assistance.
* Prioritizing currently eligible populations and allowing providers the discretion to vaccinate those who live in high-impact areas (County Healthy Places Index Quartiles 1 and 2), including families."

California was hard hit early on in the pandemic, but introduced a color-coding system that seems to have worked on a county-by-county basis. The counties close to where I report have gone from 'purple', meaning widespread (many non-essential indoor business operations are closed), to red, meaning substantial in terms of risk (some non-essential indoor business operations are closed). Many will be heading in the direction of 'orange' soon, moderate, meaning some indoor business operations are open with modifications. It's probably a ways off before most of California gets to 'yellow', which means minimal risk and will allow most indoor business operations are open with modifications. But we can hope, now that vaccinations for all over 16 years of age are on the way.